WESLEYAN HALFTIME LEAD NOT ENOUGH AGAINST ACC

Wesleyan College held a one-point advantage at the intermission, but Atlanta Christian College scorched the nets in the second half on their way to a 70-58 victory at Porter Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

A back-and-forth start to the first half saw ACC grab an early 12-11 lead after Farrah Lewis made one-of-two free throws. Shmyra Hopkins’ jumper with just under four minutes left in the half capped an 11-1 spurt by the Pioneers. Erica Darden came off the bench to score all seven of her points during the run, which left Wesleyan (2-7) leading 22-13. However, the Chargers scored the final eight points of the first half including six straight by Amanda Lampley to head into the locker room trailing 22-21.

The hot hand followed Atlanta Christian (8-6) out of the break as the Chargers shot 62% from the floor in the second half, highlighted by a 4-of-6 effort from beyond the three-point line. Wesleyan trailed by as many as 14 in the second half but had their chances to close the gap.

“(ACC) is much improved and we played well with them,” commented head coach Jason Henry. “Without those couple of minutes worth of lapses, we would have been right there at the end. If we continue to improve, we’ll be good to go in conference play.”

Despite the hot shooting by ACC, Wesleyan’s defense forced 28 turnovers, and the Pioneers once again out-rebounded their opponent.

“We hit the boards and played tough defense which have become our trademarks,” stated Henry. “Once we start putting it in the basket, we’ll be fine.”

Chauntel Herrod led four Chargers in double figures, filling the box score up to the tune of 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five steals in only 23 minutes. Wesleyan’s Kassandra Epps finished with a double-double of her own with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Brandi McDowell added 13 points and five steals. The Pioneers Bre’ Solmone just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Pioneers return to action Monday night when they host GSAC rival Spelman at Porter Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00pm and admission is free.